After the journeyman certificate — what you can build on

Many think a vocational education is the end of schooling. It is far from it. As a trained toolmaker you stand with a strong professional foundation and there are several paths if you want to go further — both short courses and longer educations.

The easiest path forward is to develop expertise within the trade. You can become an expert in, for example, CNC programming, CAD/CAM design or a particular type of tool. Many courses are taken while you are in work and quickly give you more responsibility and a stronger position at work.

The education has a level aimed at tool construction and development—where you not only manufacture but also design and manage development projects with CAD and calculations. It is a natural step for someone who wants to work more with planning, drawing, and overview than with the machines themselves.

With a journeyman's certificate — and particularly if you took the education as EUX — you can study further on a higher technical education. Here are some of the typical paths:

With experience and a good network some choose to start their own business — e.g. a small tool workshop or specialised subcontractor. Here you combine the trade with running a business and courses in economics and management can be good support on the way.

Over time, you can become the one who trains new students. Being a trainer or subject leader is a career path in itself — and a way to pass on your craft. It requires that you both know the subject and can communicate it.

“Your journeyman certificate is not a finish line — it's the starting line for everything you can build on.”